


forever young

by i_was_human



Category: Lost in Translation (Webcomic)
Genre: Angst, M/M, No beta we die like mne, Past Relationship(s), Pre-Canon, Relationship Study, Separations, Young Love, also an au, my answer to "why isn't dongho in XR", one of my many takes on dongsung
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:27:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28116159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_was_human/pseuds/i_was_human
Summary: They chat all the way to a supermarket, and Dongho buys them both sodas, plopping down on a wall nearby and flicking his own open.It's nice, Minsung thinks, taking a seat next to him. Talking to Dongho - it's really, really nice.or: a miniature relationship study for an au
Relationships: Im Youngjoon | Young J/Moon Kyunghun, Kang Dongho | D.Min/Lee Minsung
Kudos: 7





	forever young

The first time Minsung meets Dongho, it's raining. 

It's raining, and Minsung sprints into the practice room, shoes pounding against the floor and hood pulled up over his head.

He's late.

It's his _first fucking day at XR_ , and he's late.

Nice going, Minsung.

His gaze flits over the room, travelling over a tall and wiry kid, a kid with deep brown hair, and finally landing on a boy stretching in the corner.

 _Oh_.

He's fucking _gorgeous_.

His dark hair hangs in his eyes as he drops into a deeper stretch, and Minsung watches, eyes wide, as he pulls his lower lip between his teeth, brows scrunching together in concentration.

 _God_ , he's gorgeous.

"Nice to meet you," the brown-haired kid abruptly states, and Minsung shrieks, stumbling backwards before crashing into the wall.

Nice job, Minsung. What a great first impression.

"Hi!" he uselessly squeaks, and the kid's lips twitch into a half-smile.

"I'm Moon Kyunghun. How old are you?"

"Ah- Lee Minsung, '92."

"Mm," Kyunghun hums, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "I'm '94. I guess you're my hyung."

"Okay?"

"The skinny one is Youngjoon," Kyunghun continues, pointing at the wiry boy stretching in the corner, "and the hot one is Dongho-hyung. He's your age."

 _Dongho_ , Minsung thinks, staring at the boy in front of him. 

_God_ , he's gorgeous.

Dongho raises his head, gaze meeting Minsung's, and his lips twitch for a moment before he drops back into a stretch, legs stretching impossibly wider as he splays himself across the floor.

"Wow," Minsung uselessly states, and Kyunghun snorts.

"That's one way to put it."

* * *

Despite how hot Dongho is, their first conversation still takes two months to manifest.

During that time, Minsung's been pining like a lovesick _sap_ , because _good god is Dongho incredible_. He's kind, talented, _hot_ , and just... fucking _perfect_.

Minsung feels woefully inadequate by comparison. 

For fuck's sake, Dongho _writes his own music_. What can Minsung do? Commit petty theft and ruin his brother's dreams? Yeah, that's not impressive.

Anyways.

After an absolutely _abysmal_ family dinner - Minsoo glared at him the entire time and refused to talk to him unless their parents made him - Kyunghun and Youngjoon invite him out to eat, luring him in with the promises of Dongho being there.

And because Lee Minsung is a weak and lonely man, he agrees. 

Come seven o'clock and Youngjoon's picking him up from his parent's place, a too-big sweater hanging off his shoulders and cuffed jeans poking out of boots. He looks cute, Minsung thinks, and tells him as much.

Youngjoon blushes up to the tips of his ears, and he rubs the back of his neck, a self-deprecating smile on his face. "Do you think Kyunghun-ah will like it...?"

Well, at least they can be pining fools together.

"I think he will," Minsung reassures him, staring down at his own outfit. It's... alright for a night out, he supposes, but he feels like he should've done more. "How do I look?"

"You look nice, hyung," Youngjoon smiles, and Minsung gives him a small smile in return.

"Thank you, Youngjoon-ah."

They head for the train station in relative silence, Minsung picking at his sleeves all the while, and the entire walk there, all he can think of is _will Dongho like it_?

Minsung's well aware he's average - at least compared to Kang Dongho - and he probably looks like shit after crying for the entire evening, but there's nothing to be done for that now, is there?

Hopefully Dongho doesn't think he looks like a cave troll. That's the bar, he decides. Not looking like a cave troll.

...he's still not sure if he passes.

The train ride passes in amicable silence, and they head for the club together, Minsung's hands stuffed in his pockets and thumb rubbing his knuckles in an attempt to calm himself. People pass by, chatting and laughing in the spring air, and Minsung's lips curl into a smile despite himself.

 _"You're such a people person,"_ Minsoo always told him, and, well, maybe he is.

(don't think about Minsoo _don't think about Minsoo-_ )

"You're here."

Minsung's head snaps up at that, and his mouth goes dry in an instant.

 _Holy fuck_.

Dongho's wearing a leather jacket and white t-shirt, and his _shoulders_? His _thighs_? His _eyes_?

Well, if it's any consolation, at least Youngjoon seems similarly broken. 

(it's not, but. it's something.)

"You look good," Dongho simply states, and Minsung makes a small sort of dying noise. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Same," Minsung squeaks, and Dongho hums, stepping back to let Kyunghun drag Youngjoon into the bar.

The duo disappear through the door, and Dongho stuffs his hands in his pockets, exhaling slowly as he stares up at the sky. "Wanna go somewhere else? A club isn't really my scene."

"Uh," Minsung eloquently replies, and Dongho rolls his eyes, gesturing to the door behind them.

"Or do you wanna third wheel the entire night? 'Cause Kyung-ah looked like he wanted to _eat_ Joon-ah, and that's not something I wanna see."

"...let's go somewhere else."

"Good idea."

* * *

They chat all the way to a supermarket, and Dongho buys them both sodas, plopping down on a wall nearby and flicking his own open.

It's _nice_ , Minsung thinks, taking a seat next to him. Talking to Dongho - it's _really, really nice_.

The boy next to him takes a swig from his drink, lips curling into a small grin as he leans back to stare at Minsung, and-

"What are you looking at?"

"There's a cat behind you."

Ah.

For some reason, _that's_ what gets Minsung to start crying.

Not Minsoo ignoring him. Not the fact that his relationship with his brother is crying before his eyes.

No - it's the fact that his crush is ignoring him for a _cat_.

God, he's pathetic.

He hides his face in his hands, trying in vain to stop the flow of tears, and he flinches back as something brushes against his cheek, head jerking up and gaze meeting Dongho's.

What?

"Hey," Dongho murmurs, and _oh_ , the thing he's holding is a _tissue_. "What's wrong, Minsung-ah?"

"My brother," Minsung miserably replies. _And you_.

"Mm," Dongho hums, taking a seat next to him. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Do you wanna listen?"

"If you need to talk, I'm always available to listen."

It's kind of pathetic in retrospect, Minsung thinks, that their first conversation would be about his brother, but it's something.

It's a start.

* * *

Over the next few weeks, they chat a bit more.

Scratch that: they chat a _lot_.

Minsung can barely go two hours without receiving a random thought or meme from Dongho, and he always tries to reciprocate in kind, though it's slightly difficult when each keystroke makes his heart pound in his chest.

God, he's fucking _weak_.

Youngjoon and Kyunghun, on the other hand, seem to be doing _something_. Minsung's not sure what it is, but both he and Dongho are both pretty sure they're dating, so that should count for something.

Those two make him feel single.

Well. He is single, but.

After about five weeks of texting, Dongho asks if Minsung wants to grab coffee, and Minsung, naive fool that he is, agrees.

God, he's weak.

Dongho looks as gorgeous as ever when he arrives, dark hair brushing his cheekbones and a small smile on his lips, and the two of them grab a table, tension thick in the air as they sit down.

Is this a date?

Holy fuck, is this a date?

"So," Dongho states in lieu of preamble, "do you want this to be a date?"

Minsung chokes on air.

And, see, if it was anyone else, his initial response would be no. Fuck, even if it was Dongho asking him five weeks ago, it would be no.

And maybe he's rushing into this, maybe he's a fool, but he knows Dongho is kind and sweet and funny and _incredible_ in every sense of the word, so there's no doubt in his mind what his answer is.

"Yes," he simply replies, and Dongho's expression lights up like he's just won the lottery.

* * *

They date for 362 days.

362 days of daily texts, of inside jokes and laughter and stolen kisses in the bathroom. 362 days of happiness and wonder and _love_ -

and then Dongho's parents find out.

Minsung still doesn't know how. Maybe they snooped through his phone.

All the same, he receives one text, and that's all he hears of Dongho for the next eight years.

_"They're sending me to America. I can't keep texting you. I'm sorry, Min. I love you."_

Once he reads it, he cries until he can't breathe.

* * *

SA1NT debuts, and things change and stay the same at the same time.

Hyunjin and Taeseok - their incredible maknaes - lift the mood, and Youngjoon and Kyunghun are, somehow, still together. They soar through the charts, breaking records and redefining the genre, and through it all, there's something horribly _empty_ in Minsung's gut.

It's like stopping at the start of a rollercoaster and never being able to get off. You can forget it's there sometimes, but it always comes back around.

The truth is this: Minsung is still in love with Dongho.

It's foolish, it's stupid, it's basically meaningless, but _god_ , Minsung is still so hopelessly, painfully in love with Dongho.

But he's in America.

He's in America, and Minsung is never going to see him again.

This lasts until Minsoo debuts, and the floor falls out from under him.

Minsung's there - because of course he's there, he's Minsoo's little brother, he's _going to be there_ , no matter how estranged they may be - and as the group walks out on stage, a familiar face makes his breath hitch. 

_Dongho_. 

Eight years older and four inches taller, eight years older and with a confidence in his step Minsung's never seen, eight years older and still achingly, _painfully_ the same.

He watches, and he stares, and there's nothing left to say.

He watches, and he stares, and Dongho's up there, shining as bright as he always should, and that hollow pit in his heart _screams_ that Dongho should be on stage with them, _screams_ that he belongs in SA1NT, _screams screams screams_ that Minsoo can have anything, _just not him_ -

but it's meaningless in the end.

None of it matters.

What's done is done.

And as much as Minsung may hope and dream and _regret regret regret_ it means nothing.

**Author's Note:**

> fic title and entire inspiration from iu's eight
> 
> [twit](https://twitter.com/i_was_human_) | [lit fic discord!](https://discord.gg/CNunB74)


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